Kentucky basketball has dropped in this updated preseason top 25 ranking

ESPN has moved Kentucky down in their most recent update to their preseason rankings.

Mar 19, 2026; St. Louis, MO, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope speaks during an interview at the practice session ahead of the first round of the men's 2026 NCAA Tournament at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Le-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

It's July, and that usually means a quiet period in the college basketball world. Not this offseason, as not only have a number of top prospects elected to reclassify to play the upcoming year, but a recent court ruling has made all fifth-year players eligible. That has led to a massive amount of players hitting the transfer portal.

As Kentucky patiently figures out what they're going to do with that final roster spot, other schools have been making moves. With all of the recent additions, ESPN has come out with updated top 25 preseason rankings and Kentucky has dropped with others around them adding to their rosters, falling two spots down to #19. Among those who jumped Kentucky, Missouri -- who feature a promising freshman in Jason Crowe -- moved from 21st to 18th, while Miami moved up one spot to 17th. UCLA, who recently landed Nikola Kusturica, is just behind the Wildcats at #20.

Kentucky basketball head coach Mark Pope gives an update on the upcoming 2026-27 season during a press conference in Lexington, Kentucky July 24, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

There were also some more notable additions around college basketball since the last update from ESPN, such as Marcus Spears Jr. reclassifying and joining Texas, bolting them into the top five. What did ESPN's Jeff Borzello have to say about Mark Pope's Kentucky squad in his latest rankings?

"Mark Pope should have a better handle on his roster after a month, just in time for a trip to Charlottesville to face an experienced Virginia group. Chief among the storylines to monitor will be how the dual-point guard attack of Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins is developing, while the All-American candidacy of Iowa State transfer Milan Momcilovic -- the best player in this past transfer portal -- will have a month's worth of data points."

Feb 17, 2026; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats head coach Mark Pope looks to his bench during the second half against the Georgia Bulldogs at Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Borzello went on to list Kentucky's key non-conference game as Virginia, which will take place on the road in Charlottesville. It will be a very tough test for the Wildcats against a team that is ranked 13th in ESPN's rankings and has plenty of quality continuity on its roster. Looking at Kentucky's non-conference schedule, it's not surprising that Borzello chose this matchup as the key one. The Wildcats get Louisville at home, along with teams like Kansas and Indiana on neutral-site courts. With Virginia, it's going to be a rowdy road environment against a top 15 squad looking to make more noise after their second-round NCAA Tournament exit against Tennessee last season.

Can Mark Pope put his squad into the top 15 after filling the last spot? We'll see, but the Momcilovic addition alone took them from unranked to being viewed a top 20 team.

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